3,000-pound sculpture delights MC Law School audience

During an unveiling ceremony in Jackson for the 3,000-pound sculpture titled â€œChrist: The Fulfillment of the Law,â€ artist Sam Gore demonstrates how he sculpts the head of Christ from clay. Photo by: Courtesy Photo

Special to The Dispatch

July 11, 2009

JACKSON â€" Sam Goreâ€™s newest masterpiece attracted art patrons, legal scholars, students and scores of other admirers of his craft to the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson.

On a steamy June day, nearly 100 Mississippians delivered their unanimous verdict: they judged his 3,000-pound sculpture of Jesus and his disciples to be magnificent. Goreâ€™s 12-foot-tall bronze is the companion piece to his â€œMoses the Lawgiverâ€ on display on an exterior wall at the downtown Jackson law school.

So was Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Malcolm White, who heaped praise upon the internationally celebrated artist and 1951 Mississippi College graduate. â€œThis is a magnificent and inspired piece,â€ he said during remarks during dedication ceremonies.

But in typical fashion, the former MC art department chairman refused to take credit for his two-year labor of love. â€œThis is not about me,â€ the 81-year-old Gore said before leading the gathering in prayer. The Texas native says heâ€™s â€œplaced my life in Godâ€™s handsâ€ and heâ€™s â€œintent on following his will in my life.â€

Clay demonstration

While temperatures sizzled in the mid-90s, Gore demonstrated the power of his faith at the June 17 dedication as he molded the face of Jesus Christ out of clay. The sounds of â€œAmazing Graceâ€ and other sacred music played on the loudspeaker in the School of Law Courtyard.

Of the larger sculpture, Gore stated, â€œThe title and primary statement of this sculpture is the central message of the Sermon on the Mount which begins with Matthew 5:1, â€œand seeing the multitudes he went up to the mountain and when he was seated, his disciples came to him.â€

The piece â€œis a visual drama with a cast of Jesus, his disciples and several thousand broken-spirited, disconsolate and mournful people subjected to harsh conditions under Roman occupation.â€ The setting is the Northern area of the Sea of Galilee.

During the program, Jim Rosenblatt, law school dean, noted that Goreâ€™s two pieces of work can easily be seen by people on the sidewalk as they walk by the downtown Jackson campus. â€œWe wanted to share this with the community,â€ he said of the Moses and Jesus sculptures.

â€œIn dramatic fashion, Dr. Goreâ€™s work completes the law series commissioned for the Law School,â€ Rosenblatt said. â€œI know he was inspired as he used his creative genius, his artistic skills and his energy to craft these works that convey such a powerful message. It is said that one picture is worth a thousand words, then these two works of Dr. Goreâ€™s are worth a trillion words!â€